Hat ironing machine



Aug. 16, 1932. L, ANGELUS ET AL 1,872,631

HAT IRONING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 N ENTO 0.11 elzzr and fimlelzmmmebg liy ATTORNEY Aug. 16, 1932. Y L. ANGELUS ET AL' 1,872,631

HAT IRONING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 2 AT 5 ORNEY? g- 1932- 1.. ANGELUS ET AL.

HAT IRONING MACHINE Filed Feb. 2.1, 1930 4 Sheets-$heet 3 INVEN fiawAage lmm ' ToNEY 7 g- L. ANGELUS ET AL I 1,872,531

HAT IRONING MACHINE Filed Feb. 21, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 20,1113 INVESTORS fimzellawrelzaeflrgllf.

Patented Aug. 16, 1932 UNITED STATES mi'rslwr "oFF cE LOUIS AnGELUs, on NEW YO K, AND DANIEL LAWRENCE BAYLIS, or Lone ISLAND,

NEW YORK; SAID BAYLIS nssrenon TO SAID ANGELUS HAT mourns MACHINE Application filed Fcbruary 21 ,"1930. Serial No 430,169.

Our present invention relates generally to ironing machinery, and has particular refer ence to a machine for ironing hats. v

The type of machine to which our invention has reference is usually employed during the renovation of soft hats such as those which are made of felt or the'like, and is designed to iron the crown of a hatafter the latter has been placed upon asuitable hat block. The block is applied to a suitable rotatable chuck and the machine is provided with an iron, usually heated electrically, which oscillates in an arcuate path back and forth over thecrown of the hat.

It is a general object of-our present invention to provide an improved machine of the foregoing character, 7 and more particularly", to provide a machine which is of simplified construction and which operates with greater efficiency than those heretofore employed in practice.

A more particular object of our invention has'reference to the manner of constructing and mounting the iron and its carrier, and resides in providing a novel and improved means for mounting the iron and controlling its movement. P r

In machines of this character, the iron is usually caused to oscillate by mounting the same upon a spindle which is caused to m tate first in one direction and then in the other. In view of the elliptical contour of a hat crown the iron must embody a movability relative to the spindle which carries it. feature of our present invention lies in providing for this relative movement in an improved manner Which renders the structure more firm and staunch, less likely to vibrate and chatter, and capable of performing'its contemplated function in a reliable and smoothly operating manner.

A more specific feature lies in providing a radial arm upon the aforementioned spindle and in mounting an' iron carrier upon this arm in such a manner that its movement relative to the spindle is limited to movement in a plane passing through the aXis of the spindle. g 1

Another feature of our invention lies in pivotally mounting an iron upon the carrier ina manner which restricts the pivotal movement'to a single pivot axis.

A still further feature of our invention lies in. an arrangement of parts which causes the single pivot axis of'the iron to move parallel to itself at all times. I

1 The foregoing features will be more fully.

'Other-features of our invention, predicated upon'thegeneral object to provide a machine of-imp'roved character will be set forth in greater detail hereinafter. For the attainment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be'pointed out, we have constructed a device embodying the features of our invention and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved machine with the iron shown in operative position withrespect to a hat;

Figure 2 is a similar perspective viewtaken from the opposite side of the machine, the hat inthis figure being omitted; i

Figure 3 is agreatly enlarged side view, partly in section, of the ironing portion of the machine, this view being taken substantially A in the same direction as Figure 2;

11 suitably constructed to provide the necessary bearings and guideways for the movable parts presently tobe described. An electric driving motor 12 is preferably mounted upon the framework 11 in the manner shown and is suitably geared to a worm 13 to drive the latter when the switch 14 is turned on and with the worm 13. -Under-normal running conditions, the wheell'? is held' upwardly in meshing engagement with the worm 13. This particular assembly is not broadly new, eX-- cept that the provision of ahand knob; 18 in place of a longer and more easily moved lever arm reducesthe possibility of too suddenly shifting t-he'wheel 17upWardlyinto engagement with therotating-worm 13.

. The wheel 17 serves asacranlgwand a connecting rod =19: is associated therewith for .the purpose of reciprocatingsina horizontaldirection,;the block 20 which carriesthe rack 21. The innerend of the connecti-i'ig-rod 19 may be adjusted radiallyrwith respecttothe wheel.17 to vary the effective tcrank arm and, accordingly, to vary the stroke ofthe rack 21.

The rack .21 is guided in: h'orizontaliguideways-:22 and28 and mesheswith a gear 24 mounted adjacent to the guidewayr23. .The slow reciprocation of the rack :-21 :causes the gear-:24 to rotate slowlyin one direction 'and then in the other direction, and thereby causes rotative oscil lation 'of a spindle to which the gear 241$ attached, a-nd'which will be presently describediin greater detail. I

- .Mounted upon the sha'ft'whiehparriesthe worm 13 isa chuck 25 adapted to be opened and closed-and designed'toreceive any:'selected one of aseries ofhat blocks. The chuckmay be 'o'fany suitable ortcustomary construction and itsmanner of openingrand closing to disengageandengage ahat block isimmaterial.

"Oneofthe features-of our'inventionzlies, however, in theprovision of'a ifootttreadle 26 whose operation efli'ectsthe 'opening and closingiof the chuck. :For thepurpose of explaining this :feature of our invention, it will suffice 'to point out :th'at th(l :collar'27, forming part'of the chuck, is shiftablevaxia-l- 'ly. In its extreme outward:positiomas shown in Figure 2, the chuck is closed, 'and*in its shifted position, shown'in Figure 1', thechuck is open and adapted=to receive or'release: the hat block. A lever 28 is mounted upon afixed pivot .29 :andis. normally held in theposition otrFigure'2'by means of the tension spring 30. The opposite end of the lever ispivoted at 31 to a. link. 32 extending forwardly to the collar .27. By-stepping upon the'tread'le 26, which is p ivotedat its'rear end-S3, atie rod 34iis caused to move downwardly, 1 and inasmuchas the upper end of the'tierod is pivotally connected by the link '35 with the pivot-'29,'the1atter will be'rotated'to swing workman entirely free for-purposes of hanlingthe hat and the hatblock. The most important features of our inven- .tion.res-ide .in.the construction and manner ing spindle-.-above referred'to, and this arm has. mounted thereon the iron carrier 37.

This iron carrier is pivotally sup-ported upon two sets ofparallel links 38 and "39 and is thereby :permitted to :move relatively to the spindle,=but onlyin a-plane passing through T lllIQflXlS of the spindle. The-carrier 37 is provided with the iron pivot'O, which is shown vertical and hence parallel tothe axis of the spindle. This pivot is therefore movabletoward andaway fromzt-he hat and is i constrained to move parallelto'itself at all times. An-iron 4L1, preferably-heated electrically through the cable 42) is mounted upon the iron-pivot 40 and is in this way constrained togpivot only about a vertical axis.

Veshzillnow-proceed to describe-the above construction in greater detail. Referring to Figure 3,'it will benoted thatthe spindle 48 isihollowi andzisjourn a-led in-the mainhousmg or framework atthebearing portions 44 and 45, in each of which a roller bearing 46 is arranged. immediately above the bearing portion 44, the spindle enlarges indiameter, as at 47, and 1 upon this enlarged diameter the: gear 24 is'mounted. Above the portion 47 ithe spindle enlarges further to -pro-, vi-de the -disk-like portion 48 which-overlies the gear'24C- -and underlies theinner end of ther-adial arm' 36. A set of bolts'or studs 49extenddownwardlythrough the arm 36 and through. the portion 48' into firm threaded= engagement with the gear 24, inthis way securely-holding theigear, the spindle, and

' the arm 36 in firm unitary relationship. This construction is such, however,that removal ofpartsordisassembly is comparatively simple for purposes of repair or inspection. Abovethe portion 48-the spindle has a'joure nal portion 50 --which extends through the arm-36.

' Immediately above the axis of the spindle, the arm 36 is channeled to provide the upstandingparallel walls 51, and journaled between these walls is=the guide pulley 52. This igo pulley is one of several which serve toguide a cable 53 extending downwardly through the spindle 43 and terminating in a weight 54, the purpose'of which is to urge the iron and the iron carrier constantly toward the axis of the spindle 43.

At the rear or free end of the arm 36, the latter is again channeled to provide the two parallel upstanding walls 55, and between these walls are the bearings for the two parallel horizontally arranged pivots 56. and 57. Secured to the pivot 56 by means ofset screws 58 is the lower'end 59of each of the upwardly extending links 39; and similarly secured tothe'pivot 57, as by means of set screws 60, is the lower end 61 of each of the links 38.

Between the upper end portions of the links 38 is an additional guide pulley 62 around which the cable 53 passes.

The iron carrier 37 is articulated to the upper ends of the links 38 and 39 along the horizontal-parallel pivot axes 63 and 64. The distance between these pivots is the same as the distance between the pivots 56 and 57 and, accordingly, these pivots remain constantly in horizontal alignment and thereby constrain the iron carrier itself, and allparts carried by it, to moveparallel to itself at all times. At its forward end the carrier 37' forks upwardly and downwardly to provide the spaced bearing portions 65 and 66 fcrthe iron pivot 40. The iron 41 has journals which extend upwardly and downwardly into the bearings 65 and 66 and is thus permitted to pivot around this vertical axis, but

not otherwise. The upper journal is providedwith a rearwardly extending arm 67 at the end of which a suitable clamp 68 engages and retains the end of the cable 53.

The rear portion of the carrier 37 extends upwardly and terminates in a handle 69. In the rear portion of the carrier we also mount a guide pulley 70 around which the cable 53 passes; and immediately in front of the pulley 70 are two loosely mounted vertical rollers 71 between wh ch thecable 53 is caused to pass to prevent it from slipping off the pulley 70. i i

The main portion of the carrier 37 is hollow or bored and'permits the rearward passage therethrough of the wires-or cable 42 serving to heat the iron. 1

Before describing the operation of our clevice we will point outthat the weight 54 exerts a' constant tension upon the cable'53 and urges the entire carrier 37 and the iron 41'toward the axis of the spindle 43, hence toward the hat mounted upon the chuck. To prevent damage to the iron or chuck in case the iron is forcibly-advanced while no hat is interposed in its path, a pair of bumpers 72 are mounted upon lugs 7 3 integrally for-med upon a midportion of the ai'm 36.

To hold the iron carrier in retracted posi' tion we provide a spring-pressed detent element 74 upon the lower portion ofoneof the links 38, the inner end of this detent riding smoothly over the outer face of one of the walls'55 and being adapted to snap into engagement with a bore or opening 75 vprovided in the latter. In'other words, if the handle 59 is grasped and pulled backwardly to retract the iron carrier against the action of the weight 57, the detent will automatically engage with the opening 75 and hold the iron carrier in the retracted position shown by dotand-dash lines'76 in Figure 3. When it is desired to advance the iron against a hat mounted upon a block 77, for'example, the handle 69 is grasped with one'hand and the detent 74 is withdrawn from the open ing 75 with the other hand, the weight 54 then urging the carrier forwardly until the iron 41 rests yieldably against the hat. During this advance of the iron, andfduring-all movements of the iron, the latter moves parallel to itself, and this is most clearlyillustrated in Figure '3 by comparing the fullline showing of the iron with thei'dot-an'ddash showing 78. 1 E

The operation of our device will be clear from the description hereinabo-ve given of the several portions. The hat which is ready for ironing is placed upon a suitable'hat block and the operator depresses the treadle 26, applies the block-to the chuck 25, and then releases the treadle. VVith-tlie motor 12 operating, the hat chuck and the hat will be rotated, the rotation being at the rate of approximately forty (40) revolutions per minute. With the wheel 17 out of engagement with the worm 13, and'with the iron carrier in full retracted position, the arm 36 is swung by hand into a starting position adjacent to the brim of thehat. The knob 18is then manipulated to place the wheel 17'into engagement with the worm: 13, thus initiating a slow reciprocal movement of the rack 21 and a slow oscillation of the spindle 43, and hence of the iron. The detent 74 is then'released, and the iron gently allowed to advance under the action of the weight 54 against the hat crown. No further attention is thenjrequired since the iron will oscillate slowly aroundthe entire hatcrown and perform its contemplated function. When the operation is completed, the handle 69 is simply withdrawn rearwa rdly until the iron carrierautomatically locks in retracted posit-ion. The handle 18 is then caused to release the wheel '17, whereby the iron and the iron'carrier may be swung into any desired out-of-the-way posit on. The foot treadle isthen depressed and the hat and hat block withdrawn from the chuck, after'which another hat block may: be immediately applied, or the machine may becaused to cease functioning by turning- 'ofi the-motor 12 and the heating connection forthe iron.

It'will' be: understood that, during the ironing procedure the elliptical and irregular cross section of .the' hat will causethe iron to move yi'eldably back and forth in a radial direction 'withrespect to the spindle 43; and the iron will also-be caused to pivot by a slight degree around the pivot axis 40; By virtue of our present construction, these two movements are not only extremely'slight, but are practically devoid of all chatter and strain. Themanner of mounting the, iron is such 'that'underno circumstances will the iron pivot about the axis 40 through more than five or ten degrees and, as. a result, neither the cable 42 nor the cable 53 are ever subjected to excessive distortions or twists.

So far as'the cable 53"is concerned, it is to be noted that our construction positions this cable in 'a' single verticalplane, and for this reason, kinks are totally avoided and the wear and tear, it any, is reduced'to an absolute minimum. I

The movement. of the iron parallel to itself'at all times assures proper ironing of all areas of the hat crown andalsocauses the wear upon the iron surface to be distributed over 'a relatively wide horizontal band, as distinguished from a single focal point. This-advantage is due not only to the parallel movement of the iron but also to the fact thatthe iron pivots only about a single axis and is not mounted for universal movement.

Theabsence of any'universal movement for the iron is of further advantage in dispensingwith pivots, journals, andbearings, and the constant wear and tear and chatter of necessity incidentthereto.

i It is to be particularly noted that the iron carrier and the iron, both of considerable weight, are mounted so as to overlie the arm 36 at all times. This makes-the structure exceptionally staunch and subjects the spindle to a minimum strain. By our construction, the arm 36 is under no circumstances ever subjected to'lateral strains which would tend to subject the severalbearings to irregular wear and, ina veryrshort while,-produce looseness, chatter, and necessity for early replacement.

In general, our construction is firm and compact, highly efficient and reliable, capable of easy and simplified manipulation, capable of performing efliciently and with hardly any wear and tear for long periods of time, yet with al exceptionally simple from a manufacturing and assembling standpoint.

It will be obvious that changes in the details herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of our inappended claims. It is therefore intended thatthese details be interpreted *as illustrative, and not in a' limiting sense.

Having thus described our invention" and illustrated its use, what we claim as newand desire to secure by'Letters Patent is 1. In a hat ironing -machine, the combination with a rotatable'hat'chuck; and an oscillating spindleperpendicular to the axis of said chuck, of an iron-carrier mounted on said spindle for oscillation therewith, and means for moving said carrier relative to the spindle and only in a plane passing through the spindle axis; said means comprising aradial arm carried by saidspin'dle, and parallel, upwardly extending links'pivotally supporting said iron-carrier above and spaced from said arm for pivotal movement substantially parallel to the axis of said arm.

2. In a hat ironing machine, the combination with arotatab le hat chuck, and an oscillating spindle perpendicular to "the axis of said chuck," of' an iron-carrier mounted on said spindle for oscillation therewith and includingan iron-supporting pivot parallel to the spindle axis, and means for moving said carrier relative to the spindle-to shift said pivot parallel to itself and only in a plane passing-through-the spindle axis; said means comprising a radial arm carriedby said spindle, and a set of parallel, upwardly extending links pivotally supporting said ironcarrier above and spaced-fromsaid arm.

3. In a hat ironingnrachine, the combination with a rotatable hat chuck,- a-nd an'oscillating spindle perpendicular to the axis of said chuck, of an iron-carrier mounted on said spindle for oscillation therewith and including an iron-supporting pivot parallel to the spindle axis, and means for moving said carrier relative to the spindle to shift said pivot parallel to itself and only in a plane passlng througlrthespindle axis; said means comprising a radial arm carried by said spindie, and a set of parallel,upwardly extending links pivoted at their lower ends to said arm upon axes perpendicular to said'spindle axis and pivoted at their upper ends to said iron-carrier.

4. In a hat ironing machine,-the combination with a rotatable horizontal "hat chuck, and an oscillating, vertical, hollow spindle beneath said chuck, of an iron-carrier mounted on said spindle for oscillation therewith,

means for moving said carrier, relative to the spindle and only in a vertical plane passing through said spindle axis, said means comprising a radialarm carried by the spindle and a set of parallel links pivotally supporting said iron-carrier above and spaced from said arm, and yieldable meansfor constantly urging said carrier toward the spindle axis, said yieldable means comprising a weighted cable extending from said carrier toward said spindle and thence downwardly through said spindle; whereby said cable lies in its entirety in a vertical plane.

5. In a hat ironing machine, the combination with a rotatable horizontal hat chuck, and an oscillating vertical spindle beneath said chuck, a radial arm carried by said spindle, an iron-carrier, and means for mounting said carrier above and spaced from said arm for movement relative to said spindle, said means comprising a set of parallel, upwardly extending links pivotally articulated at their opposite ends to said arm and carrier respectively.

6. In a hat ironing machine, the combination with a rotatable horizontal hat chuck, and an oscillating vertical spindle beneath said chuck,a radial arm carried by said spindle, an iron-carrier, and means for mounting said carrier above and spaced from said arm for movement relative to said spindle axis, said means comprising a set of parallel links pivotally articulated at their opposite ends to said arm and carrier respectively; said links being pivoted upon horizontal axes whereby said carrier is constrained to move in a vertical plane passing through said spindle axis.

7 In a hat ironing machine, the combination with a rotatable horizontal hat chuck, and an oscillating vertical spindle beneath said chuck, a radial arm carried by said spindle, an iron-carrier including a vertical ironsupporting pivot, and means for mounting said carrier above and spaced from said arm for movement of said iron-supporting pivot toward and away from said spindle axis, said means comprising a set of parallel links pivotally connected at their opposite ends to said arm and carrier respectively, said links being pivoted upon horizontal axes whereby said iron-supporting pivot is constrained to move parallel to itself in a vertical plane passing through said spindle axis.

8. In a hat ironing machine, a rotatable hat chuck, an oscillating spindle perpendicular to the axis of said chuck and beneath the lat ter, a radial arm carried by said spindle, a set of parallel links pivoted to said arm at their lower ends, an iron-carrier pivotally supported on the upper ends of said links and including an iron-supporting pivot parallel to the spindle axis, a weighted cable associated with said iron-carrier for constantly urging said pivot toward the spindle axis, a handle on said iron-carrier for retracting the latter from the spindle axis, the links constraining said pivot to move parallel to itself at all times, a latch cooperable with one of said links for automatically locking said carrier in a retracted position after a retraction beyond a predetermined amount, and buflfers arranged to be encountered by at least one of said links to limit the movement of the carrier toward the spindle axis when said latch is released.

In witness whereof, we have signed this specification this 19th day of February, 1930.

LOUIS ANGELUS. DANIEL L. BAYLIS. 

